Beacon and a method for providing instructions to an autonomous agent

Abstract

An example embodiment of the invention provides a beacon for providing instructions to an autonomous agent. The beacon comprises an audio or visual output arrangement which is configured to output an audio or visual machine-readable signal. The machine-readable signal is configured to provide an instruction to the autonomous agent. The audio or visual output arrangement is configured to provide the output such that the machine-readable signal is, at least partially, inaudible, invisible, or incomprehensible to humans.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A beacon for providing instructions to an autonomous agent, the beacon comprising:
 a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon an instruction to an autonomous agent, the autonomous agent including a machine; 
 an electronic controller communicatively coupled to the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium; and 
 an output arrangement which is configured to output a machine-readable signal, the output arrangement including a road sign, 
 wherein the electronic controller is configured to operate the output arrangement such that the machine-readable signal output by the output arrangement comprises the instruction to the autonomous agent, the machine-readable signals activating the autonomous agent to react to the road sign, 
 wherein the machine-readable signal comprises at least one of: 
 visual indicia which are orthogonal to indicia used in human language; and 
 audible sounds which are orthogonal to sounds used in human language. 
 
     
     
       2. The beacon of  claim 1 , wherein the instruction of the machine-readable signal:
 references computer code accessible to the autonomous agent; and/or 
 contains computer code executable by the autonomous agent. 
 
     
     
       3. The beacon of  claim 1 , wherein the machine-readable signal is a visual signal and comprises a visual display of wavelengths of light invisible to a human eye. 
     
     
       4. The beacon of  claim 3 , wherein the instruction is encoded in at least one of:
 an intensity; 
 a wavelength; 
 a frequency; and 
 a hue, of the visual machine-readable signal. 
 
     
     
       5. The beacon of  claim 1 , wherein the machine-readable signal is an audible signal and comprises wavelengths of sound inaudible to a human ear. 
     
     
       6. The beacon of  claim 5 , wherein the instruction is encoded in at least one of:
 an intensity; and 
 a pitch/frequency, 
 of the audible machine-readable signal. 
 
     
     
       7. The beacon of  claim 1 , wherein the signal comprises a plurality of instructions, each of which is configured to execute a software routine in the autonomous agent. 
     
     
       8. The beacon of  claim 1 , wherein the output arrangement is configured to output the machine-readable signal which is one of at least:
 fixed in time; or 
 time-varying. 
 
     
     
       9. The beacon of  claim 1 , wherein the machine-readable signal includes a combination of both audio and visual machine readable signals. 
     
     
       10. An autonomous agent system which includes:
 a beacon for providing instructions to an autonomous agent, the beacon comprising:
 a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon an instruction to an autonomous agent, the autonomous agent including a machine; 
 an electronic controller communicatively coupled to the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium; and 
 an output arrangement which is configured to output a machine-readable signal the output arrangement including a road sign; 
 wherein the electronic controller is configured to operate the output arrangement such that the machine-readable signal output by the output arrangement comprises the instruction to the autonomous agent; and 
 an autonomous agent which includes:
 a receiver which is receptive to the machine-readable signal; and 
 a processor which is configured to execute the instruction of the machine-readable signal, 
 the autonomous agent configured to autonomously react to the road sign, 
 
 
 wherein the machine-readable signal comprises at least one:
 visual indicia which are orthogonal to indicia used in human language; and 
 audible sounds which are orthogonal to sounds used in human language. 
 
 
     
     
       11. The system of  claim 10 , wherein the machine-readable signal includes a combination of both audio and visual machine readable signals. 
     
     
       12. A method of providing instructions to an autonomous agent, the method comprising:
 outputting, by a beacon comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon an instruction to an autonomous agent and an electronic controller communicatively coupled to the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, a machine-readable signal, 
 wherein the electronic controller is configured to operate an output arrangement including a road sign such that the machine-readable signal output by the output arrangement comprises the instruction to the autonomous agent, the autonomous agent including a machine, the machine-readable signals activating the autonomous agent to react to the road sign, 
 wherein the machine-readable signal comprises at least one of: 
 visual indicia which are orthogonal to indicia used in human language; and 
 audible sounds which are orthogonal to sounds used in human language. 
 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 12 , wherein the instruction of the machine-readable signal:
 points to computer code stored within to the autonomous agent; and/or 
 contains computer code executable by the autonomous agent. 
 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 12 , wherein the machine-readable signal is a visual signal and comprises a visual display of wavelengths of light invisible to a human eye. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 14 , wherein the instruction is encoded in at least one of:
 an intensity; 
 a wavelength; 
 a frequency; and 
 a hue, 
 of the visual machine-readable signal. 
 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 12 , wherein the machine-readable signal is an audible signal and comprises wavelengths of sound inaudible to a human ear. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 16 , wherein the instruction is encoded in at least one of:
 an intensity; and 
 a pitch/frequency, 
 of the audible machine-readable signal. 
 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 12 , wherein the machine-readable signal comprises a plurality of instructions, each of which is configured to address a software routine in the autonomous agent. 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 12 , wherein the autonomous agent is configured to resolve instructions from the machine-readable signal by comparing a similarity between the machine-readable signal and reference machine-readable signals stored in the autonomous agent. 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 12 , comprising detecting, by the autonomous agent, the machine-readable signal associated with specific instructions by training one or more classifiers of the autonomous agent to discriminate a set of variants of the machine-readable signal and a set of signals expected in environments where the autonomous agent operates.